St. Paul daily globe., 1887-10-23
LIKE HUMAN TOYS.
Wonderful Puppets That Have Been
Presented to Kings. -
INVENTORS OF PAST DAYS.
Automatons That Did Everything but
Think---Iron Eagles and Wooden
Rirds---Sawdust Pipers,

nL> UPPE TS" OR
- Cl@=======@A mariOnetteSwere
VT patrOniZed 7iiby
SaI5===- both the Greeks
" HZ ~ and Romans, and
NJ Y--S=EZZ IN automatic, which
A =aasIsss.A aZN,N are the 'inven-
SSs@SY tions which are
[@zzsZSy principally dealt
& S@Ss@S5 with, also go
4 zZZZZL back to a remote
q period. Vulcan's
/ s. tripod Oh wheels
T g has the authority
q of Homer; Da-
daluS made moving statues; Archy-
tas, of Tarentum. 4G0 B. c., invented
wooden pigeon that could fly in the air.
In the fifteenth century RegiOmantamus
made an iron fly that moved through
the atmosphere, and afterwards an
automatic eagle, which, on the arrival
of the Emperor Macmillan at Nurem-
berg flew forth to meet him.
Albertus Magnus is credited with con-
structing head that moved and talked,
and which SO frightened Thomas Aqui-
mas that he smashed it into pieces, AL
bertus exclaiming when he saw his
achievement destroyed, $50 Operishes the
work of thirty years!" Roger Bacon
made speaking head of brass, which
excited awe among all who heard it.
Speaking automata have been fire.
quently attempted of late years, but the
great difficulty lies in Stimulating the
human voice. The most successful of
these efforts was perhaps that OF Prof.
Faber, of Vienna, exhibited in London
forty years ago under the name of Eu-
phonia. Faber worked twenty-five
of hn mfr
enunciated words and also sang. There
was an arrangement of bellows. pipes,
pedals and keys, which the inventor
played to prompt the discourse.
Philip Campo invented wonderful
group of autOmata for Louis XIV.-a
carriage and four horses that started off
with the crack of whip, the horses
prancing, trotting and galloping in
turn. 1t ran along until it got in front
OF the king. when it stopped. Then a
toy fOOtman descended and, opening the
carriage door, handed out lady with
born grace" The lady made courtesy,
presented petition to his majesty and,
;re-entering her carriage was, driven
away. .sr
1. The king of autOmata constructors
was Jaques Vaucanson, born at Greno-
BILE in 1700. While quite a boy he made
several self-moving figures. The bent
of his mind was determined by rather
peculiar circumstance. Being left
to himself in the house of friend
to which he went with his mother.
he perceived Though the crack of
a partition an old clock with slowly
attention. Next time he visited the
house he had a pencil and paper with
him, and made a rough sketch of the
clock. By earnest study and investiga-
tiOn he succeeded in making clock of
his own out of pieces of wood, and this
wooden clock kept the time fairly well.
Then began his experiments with au-
tomato. .s.
He made wooden chapel, with
moving figures of priests. He invented
a hydraulic machine for the city of
perfected a machine for silk weaving
that caused the workpeople to rise
against him in arms. His first great
achievement in automata was a
flute player, which was one of
the wonders of his time. He had
been Ill and made it during his conya-
lescence. The several parts of it were
made by different workmen to prevent
its discovery. Only faithful servant
aided him in his secret. According to
D'Alembert, the remarkable figure
SGUOu VII q ptttcStdl, III WHICH pOIllOu
of the mechanism was concealed, and
the player not only blew into the iustru-
ment, but with his lips increased or
diminished the sound, performing the
legatO and StaccatO passages with per-
fection and lingering with complete
accuracy. 1t was exhibited in Paris in
1888 and made a great sensation. Vau-
cansOn next made a flageolet player,
and later a mechanical duck, which
waddled. swan, dived and quacked and.
like De GenneS' peacock. picked up and
swallowed its food. He was engaged
on an endless chain when he died. He
willed all automatic to the king. a.
MaetZel, the inventor of the metro
nome, and of several musical automata,
opened an exhibition in Vienna i'll 1909,
with Hfe-siZe autOmatOn trumpeter
as the chief attraction. When the audi
ence entered all they saw was tent.
After time the curtain parted, and
Maet.er appeared leading forward
trumpeter i'll the full regimentalS of an
Austrian dragOon. By pressing the left
epaulet of the figure he made it play
cavalry calls and a march and an allegro
by Weigh, accompanied by a full band
of living musicians. Nor was this all.
The figure retired and re-appeared as a
trumpeter of the French guard. Maet-
zal wound it up Oh the left hip, pressed
once more Oh the left epaulet, and it
played the French cavalry calls,
French cavalry march by DuSsek, and
one of PleyePS allegrOS, the full band
again accompanying.